It's been far too long since I've featured Karen Murrell lipsticks on the blog, which is a real shame as I really like their formula! So without further ado, I have three shades to so show you today: Orchid Bloom (pictured above), Peony Petal and Lavender Laughter.

From the Karen Murrell website:

KM Lipsticks are made from natural based ingredients. They do not contain any mineral oils, animal-based material, parabens or preservatives. And because of the fusion of Mother Nature’s miracle ingredients, the more you use KM Lipstick the better condition your lips will be in. This high-quality formulation means KM Lipsticks are long lasting on lips, and they smell and taste great.

Eco-friendly packagingOur lipstick canisters are made from PLA (polylactic acid), a corn resin based material that will start to dissolve back into Mother Earth within 100 days. It is also greenhouse gas neutral, helping minimise emissions that cause global warming.

Formula overview:
Karen Murrell's lipsticks use carnauba wax which has a higher melting point than many other waxes used in cosmetics. This means they don't have a lot of slip yet still apply very smoothly without tugging at the lips, plus they're a lot less likely to be left a melted or sweaty mess on a hot day (this makes me wish I too were made of carnauba wax).
The colour pay off tends to be buildable to mostly opaque across the broad shade range I have tried and the finish I would describe as demi-matte - it's not the flat matte of a MAC Retro Matte for example, but doesn't have as much shine as a satin. The lack of sheen or slip make Karen Murrell lipsticks ideal for doubling as cheek colours and I have worn them this way on several occasions.
They have a sweet cinnamon scent but the inclusion of cinnamon doesn't cause them to burn or tingle the way some cinnamon infused lip products do (I've never found that pleasant, myself!) and they are typically very comfortable to wear with most shades being non-drying and many of them actually being hydrating.

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Peony Petal

Swatches done on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Peony Petal is a soft coral with mostly opaque colour pay off; you can see some of my natural lip colour coming through in the full face swatch. It lasted four hours on me and wasn't drying.

Orchid Bloom

Orchid Bloom is a soft peachy nude, perfect for slicking on to complete any makeup look. This jumped to the top of my favourite Karen Murrell lipsticks as soon as I tried it! Excellent colour pay off and a four hour, non drying wear time.

Lavender Laughter

Lavender Laughter is a cool pink shade with just a hint of lavender in the mix. It applies evenly without any streaks in sight, which is always impressive and a joy to see in pale shades - they can be so finicky! Lavender Laughter lasted for five hours on me, with some dryness and gathering of product noted towards the end of wear.

What I liked:

Buildable colour pay off

Smooth application

Orchid Bloom and Peony Petal were not drying

Easy on the conscience! The lipstick itself is made with natural ingredients and the packaging has been created with biodegradable materials from sustainable sources.